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cavalier profile EUGENE MONROE Alum • Football Trades in the NFL are not as common as those in the NBA or MLB. And to be traded during the season is very unusual. But that is what happened last year to Eugene Monroe, the former Univer- sity of Virginia standout now in his sixth NFL season. After starting four games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 3, 2013, and started the last 11 games for his new team at tackle. "It was a surprise. But it was a welcome surprise," Monroe said. "I was happy for the opportunity. It felt like being drafted again." While he was drafted by the Jaguars in the first round with the eighth overall pick in 2009, Monroe was excited to be part of a Baltimore team that is an annual playoff contender. "As soon as I was here I was welcome with open arms," he said. "It is a top-notch place." The Ravens won the Super Bowl following the 2012 season, but last year failed to make the playoffs for first time in six years under head coach John Harbaugh. "He works every day," Harbaugh said of Monroe, who signed a five-year contract in March. "He wants to improve, and he'll be holding down that [left tackle] spot, God willing, for many years to come." Monroe, who has started 73 of the 76 games he has played in during his NFL career, was a high school All-American in Plainfield, N.J., before he headed to Virginia, where he was a three-year starter who answered the call for 30 starts for the Cavaliers. "It is probably one of the best decisions I have made," he said of attending UVa. "I felt comfortable, I felt at home. Everyone accepted me. It was a unique experience." He started all 12 games at left tackle as a fourth-year and was an All-ACC performer. Monroe earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as a fourth-year in Charlottesville, an award given since 1953 to the outstanding blocker as voted on by head coaches and defensive coordinators. — David Driver ◆ Photo courtesy Baltimore Ravens/Phil Hoffmann